I’ve been thinking a lot about what separates good vibe coding from great vibe coding lately. You know what I keep coming back to? It’s not the fancy prompts or the latest AI models—it’s the feedback loops. Those quiet, consistent conversations between you, your intentions, and the AI that actually make the magic happen.
Remember when we used to write code line by line? We’d write something, run it, get an error, fix it, and repeat. That was our feedback loop. In vibe coding, the principle of 「Code is Capability, Intentions and Interfaces are Long-term Assets」 (Ten Principles of Vibe Coding) completely flips this. Now, our primary feedback isn’t about syntax errors—it’s about intention clarity. Are we describing what we want clearly enough for the AI to assemble the right capabilities?
Here’s what I mean: when you’re vibe coding, you’re essentially having a conversation. You describe your vision, the AI generates something, you look at it, and you refine your description. Each iteration makes your intention clearer, and the AI’s output gets better. This is where the real learning happens—not just for the AI, but for you as a developer. You’re learning how to communicate more effectively with your AI partner.
The beauty of this approach aligns perfectly with the principle of 「AI Assembles, Aligned with Humans」 (Ten Principles of Vibe Coding). We’re not just throwing prompts at a black box and hoping for the best. We’re building a collaborative relationship where each iteration brings us closer to our actual goal. The feedback loop becomes our compass, guiding us through the creative process.
But here’s the kicker—most people don’t optimize their feedback loops. They treat vibe coding like a one-shot deal. Describe, generate, done. But that’s like having a conversation where you only speak and never listen. The real power comes from embracing the back-and-forth, from treating each iteration as valuable data that helps you improve both your intentions and the resulting code.
Think about it: when you’re working with traditional programming, your feedback loop might be minutes or hours between writing code and seeing results. With vibe coding, that loop can be seconds. That’s an exponential improvement in learning velocity! You can test more ideas, refine more quickly, and discover better solutions faster than ever before.
This brings me to another crucial principle: 「Verification and Observation are the Core of System Success」 (Ten Principles of Vibe Coding). Your feedback loops aren’t just about whether the code runs—they’re about whether it meets your actual needs. Are the interfaces clean? Is the performance acceptable? Does it handle edge cases? These observations feed back into your next iteration, creating a virtuous cycle of improvement.
What I’ve found most fascinating is how this changes our relationship with code itself. When you’re constantly refining through feedback loops, you start to see code as temporary and intentions as permanent. You become less attached to the specific implementation and more focused on the underlying capability you’re trying to create. It’s liberating, honestly.
So here’s my challenge to you: next time you’re vibe coding, pay attention to your feedback loops. How quickly are you iterating? Are you learning from each cycle? Are you refining your intentions based on what the AI produces? Because in the end, that’s what separates the amateurs from the pros—not just generating code, but mastering the conversation.